Smoking pipe reamer



y 2, 1969 F. G. HORN 3,456,654

SMOKING PIPE REAMER Filed Aug. 8, 1967 //v VEN TOR. fPEDER/C 6,. Ho /v Arro nsxi Int. Cl. A241? 9/10 US. Cl. 131-246 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A reamer device for cleaning the bowl of a smoking pipe comprises a pair of flat elongated cutting blades each of which has a longitudinally slotted end section for receiving the unslotted end section of the other blade to form an interlocked blade assembly having a plurality of longitudinally extended radially projected cutter portions. Each cutter portion is tapered with relatively different inclinations from the middle of its outside edge towards the opposite ends of the interlocked blade assembly so that the end sections of the blade assembly are of dillerent diameters to accommodate pipe bowls of varying sizes. A handle is formed with a pair of longitudinally extended transverse slots arranged normal to each other and adapted to selectively receive in interlocked engagement the cutter portions at each end section of the blade assembly. The radially projected cutter portions on the interlocked blade assembly are thus reversibly engageable by the handle means.

Summary of the invention This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 447,393 filed Apr. 12, 1965, and now abandoned.

This invention provides a reamer device for removing carbon deposits and residue from the interior surface of a smoking pipe bowl which is compact, eflicient in operation and comprised of releasable interlocked parts to facilitate cleaning and carrying of the reamer in a tobacco pouch or pocket of the user. An interlocked blade assembly forms a plurality of longitudinally extended radially projected cutter portions having opposite end sections, one of which has substantially parallel side edges extended from a wide end to said midpoint. Each end section of the blade assembly is adapted for releasable interlocked engagament with a handle so that the blade assembly is reversibly connected with the handle to accommodate pipe bowls of verying diameters. The interlocked engagement of an end section of the blade assembly additionally provides for the automatic removal from such section of any carbon that may have accumulated on the blade portions thereof resulting from its prior use in a pipe bowl cleaning operation.

Detailed description of the invention Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed descriptilon when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the pipe reamer of this invention shown in working assembly with the bowl of a smoking pipe shown partially in section;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the pipe reamer;

FIG. 3 is a side plan view of one cutting blade which forms a part of the pipe reamer;

FIG. 4 is a side plan view of a second cutting blade which forms a part of the pipe reamer;

FIG. 5 is a side plan view of a handle which forms part of the pipe reamer; and

United States Patent 0 3,456,654 Patented July 22, 1969 ice ' like shape and each is formed from a piece of thin sheet steel material into a generally rectangular shape. Each of the long edges 16 (FIG. 3) of the blade 12 is relatively tapered from the midpoint 17 toward the narrow end portion 19, and theend portion 18 has substantially parallel edges extended from the edge 21 to said midpoint. Thus as seen in FIG. 3, the end portion 18 of the blade 12 is of a larger width and surface area than the opposite end portion 19. The terminal end edges 21 and 22 of the blade 12 are of a semicircular shape generated about radii 23 and 24, respectively. A longitudinally extended centrally located slot 26 is formed in the large end portion 18 of the blade 12. The slot 26 is of a width slightly greater than the thickness of a blade 12 or 13 and is of a length equal to substantially one-half the length of the blade 12.

. to the slot 26, is formed in the small or bifurcated end portion 34 of the blade 13. The bifurcated portion 34 has legs 35 formed as continuous extensions of the large end portion 36 of the blade 13. It is seen, therefore, that the slots 26 and 33 are open to opposite end portions of the blades 12 and 13, respectively.

' The handle 14 (FIGS. 1 and 5) includes a cylindrical body member 37 having a transverse slot 38 open to its top end 39, as viewed in FIG. 1, for receiving a transverse gripping member 41 of a generally flat rectangular shape. The member 41 is secured within the slot 38 by peens 40 formed in the handle end 39. The end section 42 of the body member 37 constitutes a blade retaining section having a pair of longitudinally extended intersecting slots 43 (FIG. 2) arranged in planes perpendicular to one another and terminating below the gripping member 41. Each slot 43 is of a width slightly greater than the thickness of the blades 12 and 13 and of a length approximately equal to one-half of the length of the blades 12 and 13. The blade retaining section 42, as best appears in FIG. 2, is thus formed with a plurality of longitudinally extended leg members 48.

In the assembly of the smoking pipe reamer, the pair of blades 12 and 13 are held at right angles to each other with the open ends of the slots 26 and 33 being adjacent to one another (FIG. 2). On relative movement of the blades 12 and 13 toward each other the legs 35 of the blade 13 and the legs 27 of the blade 12 are moved into a straddling relation with the plate portions 19 and 34, respectively. The blades 12 and 13 are thereby inter locked to form a blade assembly 49 (FIG. 6) of a Greek cross shape in transverse section having end sections 50 and 51 (FIG. 1) of difierent diameters, and with the end section 50 being of greater diameter than the end section 51.

The slots 43 in the blade retainer section 42 of the handle 14 (FIG. 2) are then aligned relative to the blade assembly 49 so as to receive therein one of the end sections 50 and 51. The handle 14 and blade assembly 49 are then relatively moved longitudinally of each other to a position defined by the abutting engagement of the 3 blade assembly 49 with the inner ends of the slots 43 whereby to interlock the handle and the blade assembly against relative movement.

In the use of the reamer assembly 11 assume the small end section 51 of the blade assembly 49 is interlocked with the handle 14 as shown in FIG. 1. With the large end section 50 inserted within the pipe bowl 52, the reamer assembly 11 may then be rotated back and forth, or in one direction, by finger manipulation of the gripping member 41 on the handle 14. The radially projected portions of the blades 12 and 13 over the blade assembly section 50 function as cutters to remove excess carbon or cake from the inside surface of the pipe bowl 52. This cleaning action will take place progressively as the reamer assembly 11 is moved downwardly within the bowl 52.

For a pipe bowl of a smaller size than the bowl 52, the blade assembly 49 is reversed relative to the handle 14 to provide for a bowl reaming operation by the small end section 51 of the blade assembly.

The pipe reamer 11 is thus readily adapted for use to clean pipe bowls of varying sizes by merely reversing the blade assembly 49 relative to the handle 14. In such use the tapered construction of the end sections 50 and 51 of the blade assembly 49, and the rounded contours of the blades 12 and 13 at the terminii of such end sections facilitates the feeding or travel of the reamer within a pipe bowl during a cleaning operation. Additionally, it is to be noted that after use of an end section, the accumulation of any carbon on the cutting portions thereof may be readily removed by simply removing the blade assembly 49 from the handle 14 and then moving such used end section into interlocked engagement with the handle 14. As this engagement takes place the edges 53 (FIG. 2) at the open ends of the slots 43 function as scrapers to remove the accumulated carbon.

I claim:

1. A pipe reamer assembly for use with the bowl of a smoking pipe comprising:

(a) a pair of flat elongated cutting blades each having a width which is greater over a portion of the length thereof relative to the remaining portion thereof, (b) a first one of said blades having a longitudinal slot extended from the end thereof over said portion of greater width, and the second of said cutter blades having a longitudinal slot extended from the end thereof over the remaining portion thereof, the unslotted portion of each blade being adapted to be received Within the slot in the other blade to form an interlocked blade assembly with a plurality of longitudinally extended radially projected cutter portions having a greater diameter over one end section of said blade assembly relative to the other end section thereof, and

(c) handle means having one end section formed with a pair of longitudinally extended intersecting transverse slots to provide a plurality of longitudinally extended leg members corresponding to said radially projected cutter portions,

(d) each of said end sections of the blade assembly being engagea'ble separately by said handle means with a leg member received between adjacent cutter portions in frictional interlocking engagement therewith.

2. A pipe reamer assembly according to claim 1 wherein:

each of said blades has an end portion having side edges which taper from the mid point thereof toward a relatively narrow end, and a second end portion having substantially parallel side edges extended from a relatively wide end toward said mid point.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 496,809 5/1893 Allen. 981,578 1/1911 Lawrence 131-246 2,520,418 8/1950 Madden 13 l246 40 JOSEPH S. REICH, Primary Examiner 

